Our Holiday Makeover At The Children’s Hospital

To recap, we were invited to help with a very special project: decorating a family waiting room at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. They contacted us in the hopes that we could volunteer our time to warm up the room so it’s more cozy and homey year-round, as well as to add some festive touches for the holiday season. Not only did it sound like a fun project, it had such a deserving purpose that we couldn’t wait to get started. Here’s what it looked like when we first visited.

We set our sights on giving the space a living-room-like feeling for all of the children, parents, and staff that are spending the holidays at the hospital. One major change was a new paint color (Gargoyle), which was inspired by staff members who requested something enveloping and cozy since so many other rooms there are super bright/clinical. Although it might read as gray, it’s actually a mocha/brown/taupe color in person (it’s the swatch on the right of this image). And adding touches like a cozy armchair next to a big bright tree, some soft window treatments, and a bunch of holiday additions (like a little parade of wooden trees around one side of the room) hopefully brought in more of that homey vibe.

The room will also be getting new hardwood floors, a white door in the place of that blonde wood one, and some updated furnishings in a few months – but they didn’t want to wait when it came to making the room feel festive for those families spending their time in the hospital this season, and we’re so glad they asked us to jump right in.

There’s so much that we want to tell you, but let’s kick things off with a recap video that the hospital put together. It pretty much sums things up (and they thankfully cut out the parts where we got all misty-eyed).

Heather, the Senior Child Life Specialist at the hospital, states it perfectly in the video when she says we want families to feel cared about when they come into the room. Decorating for the holidays is a tradition that lots of us treasure, but when you’ve got a child in the hospital it’s probably the last thing on your mind. So we wanted to incorporate a lot of handmade touches to hopefully make it feel more less corporate or cold and a lot more like home.

We already shared four projects in the room – including the faux fireplace and paper garland which, by the way, has gotten even prettier since we first left them thanks to some of the young artistes on the floor. So let’s dive a bit deeper into some of the things you haven’t seen yet, starting with the Christmas tree. We went with white to not only pop against the freshly painted walls, but also since there were lots of traditional green trees elsewhere in the building. We grabbed our pre-lit tree from Garden Ridge, but most of the ornaments came from Target and JoAnn Fabrics.

Presiding over the tree was Bucky, the big cardboard deer, er, reindeer that was sent over by Cardboard Safari. They’re based nearby in Charlottesville, VA so they were excited to help us holiday-up the space for the hospital. We’re told Bucky was quick to earn admirers as soon as we hung him, so we’re glad he’s making friends. Cardboard Safari also donated a few of their snowflake trees to help spruce up (ha! pun!) some of the tabletops. You’ll start to notice that trees are a theme in this room.

Speaking of trees, one element that was super fun was our metallic tree forest that lined two walls of the room. We knew very quickly that we wanted to line something up along the wall panels, but whatever it was had to be thin and lightweight. The idea of a “forest” popped to mind, but we couldn’t figure out a way to execute it.

Then we remembered a cool local shop called Big Secret who uses a laser cutting/engraving machine to make all sorts of stuff. They were super excited to help out and offered to donate their time and materials to cut us a bunch of trees in varying sizes (we just sent them some free clip art that we found online for them to use as their template). Then we coated them in a variety of metallic spray paints so they’d pop against the painted wall and secured them with 3M removable velcro strips (so they can slip right off the wall without damaging it after the holidays).

Another local company that jumped in to help us pull the room together for these awesome kids and families was U-Fab. They made two custom valances for the two big windows in the room out. We liked how the pattern looked kinda festive and seasonal, yet it can still work in the room year-round.

And since there wasn’t time to have a chair custom upholstered, they kindly offered one up from their showroom floor – and boy was it a hit! People didn’t want to get up once they sat in it, and Santa even paid a visit to the kids and had a nice big armchair waiting for him. There’s also talk of U-Fab recovering it with durable/wipeable vinyl if this fabric doesn’t hold up down the line, but all of the staff and kids seemed really excited to have a cozy place to sit by the tree in the meantime.

You also may have noticed the big chalkboard between the two windows. It was one that we built out a piece of plywood and some leftover chalkboard paint. For a fun twist we mixed up some white chalkboard paint too (by adding a couple teaspoons of light colored non-sanded grout to white paint) and painted a house on a hill along the bottom of the board. We thought it’d be a fun way to spice it up beyond your traditional black square, and that it might encourage people to draw a scene – like a wreath on the house or a kid sledding down the hill.

Once we hung it, Sherry wintered it up by dragging some white chalk down the surface on its side (so the natural wood grain came through). We figured until it got doodled on, it was a nice, almost snowy, texture to start with. And we hear it has already filled up with cute drawings and holiday wishes.

One of our favorite details of the room is something that you guys helped us with: the two cork boards that we filled with cards, letters, and crafts that you mailed to our PO Box full of warm holiday wishes for these awesome families. We were completely overwhelmed by how much care and love showed up, and the families are having so much fun looking through the stacks and stacks of other items that couldn’t even fit on the board (we left a basket full of the other sketches, cards, snowflakes that will be rotated in, but can be read from that basket in the meantime).

We originally planned to pin things up to these cork boards – but after learning that pushpins are a no-no in hospital-land AND realizing the room could use some white on that wall to balance the tree in the opposite corner, we painted them white. They could still be used to hold things up (the hospital is known to staple things in lieu of using pins), but we just taped things up with patterned washi tape to get things started, so they can easily be rotated out and enjoyed.

We got stuff from all over the country (Hawaii! Alaska!) and even the world (Canada! the UK! New Zealand! Australia! Switzerland!). Seriously, you guys blew us away. Even a couple of notes from Google showed up! So thanks to everyone who took a second to make these families’ days a little brighter. We saw them soaking up the love firsthand, and it really was the best part of the entire experience.

Those wood wall hangings between the two boards are a little art project that Sherry made using some wood plaques purchased at JoAnn. She just primed a nice wide oval on each one (to cut any wood bleed), painted those ovals white, and used paint pens to sketch some leafy vines on the top and bottom of each one.

Then she drew one little holiday-ish item or object on each one. As much I liked her mittens and her little house, my favorite was the stick-figure reindeer. I kinda want him on a t-shirt. She even took some step-by-step photos for anyone else who might want to make one at home:

Even though they’re not shaped like trees, they seemed to fit right within our cozy, lodge-like vibe – and it was fun to hear the families talk about which ones they liked best.

There’s also an adjacent kitchen right off of the living room area, so we added a little bit of cheer in there as well. This corner is pretty busy and with limited wall-space and heavily used counters, so we just hung some gold glitter wreaths (from Target) on the upper cabinets. They’re locked, which means they’re rarely opened, so the staff actually recommended that we hang something there since other areas of the kitchen are used so frequently (for example, anything on the counters would just get in the way).

An amazingly sweet reader from Australia named Belinda also sent us this canvas print from her shop Poppy Love to Groove, which has a Peter Pan quote on it. The staff wanted it in a place where they could see it all year round – and what better place than right above the caffeine station?

As pleased as we are with how the room looks, the best part has been witnessing the reaction to it. During the span of days that we worked on-site over the last few weeks, we got to meet lots of patients, parents, nurses, and administrators whose sincere appreciation was so heartwarming to witness. It was really rewarding to hear them echo words like warm, cozy, and soothing – which had guided us through this project.

I think we’re really the ones who are the most thankful in all of this, though. It was a fun assignment and an interesting challenge, but more importantly it just felt good to not be so wrapped up in our own home decor and holiday stress (which frankly seem silly by comparison anyways). And of course there are the kids. They really are The Best. Here’s a little proof, courtesy of a fun holiday video that they made. Really, I dare you to watch this and not have a smile plastered on your face:

So we’re sending out one last thanks to the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU and all the people who helped this come together – especially the folks who donated items to the makeover and all of you who took the time to send a little cheer to Richmond for these sweet families. We certainly have lots of blessings to count this season.

P.S. – You can help the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU spread cheer by texting HEALTH to 50555 to donate $10 to support the children. To learn more you can visit CHoR on Facebook.

Comments

Wow, this is why I love you guys! You did an amazing job! Looks so beautiful and cozy. Thank you for volunteering your time and talents for such a wonderful cause. I loved the video of you guys, and I smiled/cried during the second video of the children. They are so adorable and it puts things into perspective for me this holiday season. Thank you :)

I so needed this article today. It’s been a horrid Monday, and especially so close to the holiday, I needed reminded that this little BS crap doesn’t matter that was pissing me off today. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful kindness with us!

It’s amazing what a coat of paint can do for a space! Seriously. That grey gives the room a completely different feel and it’s incredibly inviting. Never mind it’s a waiting room, I would have never guessed that without seeing the before images! LOVE the metallic trees on the walls that totally makes the space!

Thanks for the typo tip! All fixed! As for the notes from Google – the company sent their wishes over to these sweet families. On their official Google letterhead with handwritten notes. It was really sweet!

The cut out trees around the room are simply fantastic. Definitely saving that idea for the future. Also, I love the faux fireplace. I plan on doing that next year since we don’t have a fireplace in our new house!

Wow – each video sure made me get teary! I especially enjoyed the Katy Perry one. My alma mater & favorite basketball team, the University of Northern Iowa Panthers, just beat VCU on Saturday in a very fun game. Everyone I know commented on how nice it was to play a team that has guys on it who seem to be all around good people. We’ve enjoyed the 2-game series we’ve had with VCU and many of us hope it’s something that can continue over the coming years. So I was surprised to see several of those basketball players I saw on the court on Saturday show up in the video – very cool! And so neat what you did for the Children’s Hospital….love it!

You guys..that bought a tear to my eyes. Having a child with any kind of health issue is such a hard thing to deal with. Its amazing that you guys took time to volunteer to make sure that kids and the families atleast have something to smile about when they go to a hospital. And really kudos to the hospital for thinking about adding some cheer to the families who have to visit there.

My suddenly landed in the PICU for 2 weeks with our 5 year old son in October and having a waiting room like that would have been awesome. We were lucky to be in an awesome children’s hospital but homey touches like that definitely would have been appreciated. We spent some nervous times when we weren’t allowed to be in our son’s room for some procedures in the waiting room and being reminded of home and normalcy and less of a hospital look would have been great. Ours did have a fish tank which was great to watch. I’m sure all your beautiful efforts are being appreciated, especially at this time of year. Oh, and our son is so much better! But we plan on visiting the PICU soon so all the hardworking staff can see how they made our son well again and to bring them some cheer.

This space looks really incredible. What an incredible opportunity to give back and be a part of something. The chalkboard is very neat with the addition of the white house and hill and I love the trees around the room. The final video of the kids is priceless though – so beautiful.

Y’all did a fantastic job! It doesn’t look like a hospital waiting room any more at all, and I know the families and staff will appreciate all you did. And that video at the end had me crying and smiling at the same time. I already liked the song “Roar,” and it’s on heavy rotation in my daughter’s car; now every time I ride with her I’ll be remembering this video. Thankfully she follows YHL also, so she’ll understand why I’m getting choked up. :-)

The room is amazing… I LOVE the before and afters! And the videos totally got to me… I cried as I watched them. My two youngest kids have significant special needs and have virtually grown up at the Children’s Hospital in Denver… We have spent COUNTLESS hours at Children’s, I can’t tell you how much it means to families to know that they are cared about and supported. Having a beautiful physical environment is comforting and is such a tangible way to show love and caring. Thank you so much for taking on this project… we love you guys.

Love it!!! As a nurse at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, I’m so happy to see such a dull space, that is used sooooo regularly, make families feel more comfortable. If only all hospitals would take this cue!! Thank you for the inspiration!

Yes, definitely a smile UNDER THE TEARS! I totally didn’t need a Monday cry :) This is a great reminder to slow down and enjoy the many blessings that we have instead of running around and stressing over meaningless minutiae.

The room looks beautiful and I know that you guys helped lift their spirits this Christmas!

So very well done, guys! Not only is the design fantastic, but the warmth and feeling of peace that I’m sure it brought to those families is beyond amazing. It got very dusty in the room while watching both videos :)

Nothing like starting my Monday off with a nice big ol’ ugly cry!! The waiting room came out awesome and for such a wonderful cause!! This has to make the children, staff and families have a sense of home whenever they are in there.

While I wipe away my tears, let me just tell you how sweet was for you to give your time and energy to a project like this! How lucky for those kids and families! Sniff, sniff :) Love this and great job!

Simply the most beautiful thing I think you’ve ever done. If you knew what I looked like, you could picture hundreds of little hearts fluttering above my head. I’m SO touched by this and by the video. Wow. I’ve been looking for the perfect quote to put in this one area of my house, and “Think of the happiest things” is the one! I have one question. I wanted to know what you used to adhere the wooden trees to the wall? I love every inch of this space. Thank you so much for sharing this.

John and Sherry – Thank you so much for sharing! Wow the video with the kids was such a wonderful way to start the day! Thanks for posting! I know you guys didn’t do that room for the thank you’s and the “you are awesome” comments – that is what makes you guys so special – you guys have such wonderfully big hearts and I so appreciate you spreading the love from all of us to all the kiddos there!

This turned out so awesome! Love every single aspect of it. My favorite of this post is the video of the children and staff at the hospital. You can tell the staff loves what they do, and that makes so much difference for those children and their families!

ROAR! :D I, too, watched that second video with a smile on my face and happy tears for all those fearless fighters. What a wonderful thing you guys made happen. It’s BEAUTIFUL! I am having trouble picking just one favorite but the metallic trees and chalkboard are definitely at the top of my list of favorites. The snowflake trees are pretty awesome, too. My Monday morning was hectic and not not off to a great start. Thanks for helping me hit the ‘reset button’ and improving my mood substantially. You both are so fantastic…

Ahh, it looks amazing. I love the cosy, woodsy, homely feel – it must be so great for those families to have a distraction from their worries for a while. And I’m SO excited to see our card up on the board. To have contributed to a YHL post is just thrilling!

Where do I start? You warmed my heart today! Love how the room turned out, (especially love and want those laser cut trees) and I know the kids and families are enjoying the love. The ending video was too cute for words. I know your hearts are warmed too! You guys rock!

John & Sherry – LOVE Ambassadors & LOVE Art Directors :)
I admire how you rally the troops – businesses, your readers – and your own creative talent to create a beautiful & cozy place for the children and their families. Thank you for such an uplifting & wonderful & “tree”-mendous sharing of love.

You state you wanted to make the room “welcoming and warm” and then you paint it grey? How about using colors on the warm side of the spectrum? Keep in mind that grey is the color used for basement, garage and prison walls. The color on the walls in the “before” picture is much warmer than the downright chilly grey that you chose.

Sorry for the confusion, the new wall color is actually taupey/mocha/brown (Gargoyle by Benjamin Moore) – maybe this photo of it helps? The staff said they’d like something more enveloping and subdued than the old wall color (many other rooms are super bright/clinical), so we showed them a bunch of swatches and we all landed on Gargoyle together :)

I’m so glad I was at home reading this, and not at work! I sobbed through the Katy Perry video – must have needed a good cry! My husband was getting through 12 rounds of chemo this time last year, and the holidays were a bit sad at the time as he was too sick to do much celebrating. This year he’s happy and healthy and I’m so grateful not to be spending time in the hospital. You guys did a really wonderful thing for those parents and children – the best gift for this holiday season!